«Moana 2: legal dispute over the copying of the plot of an animated film»
12 january 2025 в 23:37
Moana 2, the beloved sequel to the original starring Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson, has run into a legal dispute. According to The Hollywood Reporter, a new lawsuit alleging copyright infringement was filed in the California federal court over the weekend, claiming that certain aspects of the film were simply taken from a similar story.
Here’s everything you need to know about the accusations and the lawsuit.
According to THR, the lawsuit was filed on Friday, January 10, 2025 in the California federal court. The highly anticipated animated film debuted with huge popularity on November 27, 2024.
THR reports that Buck Woodall, an animation writer, claims that he wrote his own animated film titled «Bucky» back in 2003. According to the lawsuit, «Moana and her team enter a dangerous vortex oceanic portal, another dramatic and unique device-image found in the plaintiff’s materials, which could not have been developed accidentally or without malicious intent». Among other alleged similarities are a hero seeking to break a curse and a dangerous journey to search for and save an ancient island.
Furthermore, the complaint alleges that the defendants received plot elements for the original Moana from Woodall himself. «Disney's Moana was created after Woodall delivered to the defendants virtually all the components necessary for its development and production after more than 17 years of inspiration and work on his animation project», - the complaint states.
Among the defendants is Dreamworks Animation development executive Jenny Marchik, who at the time was the development director for Mandeville Films, which had a «first look» deal with the animation giant.
Disney denies the allegations, stating that none of Disney’s project staff had seen Woodall’s creative work. «Moana was not inspired or based in any way on [Woodall] or his project 'Bucky,' which I first learned about after this lawsuit was filed», - wrote director Ron Clements in his court statement, according to the publication. Disney also presented supporting documents showing research, development, plot ideas, and even travel journals for Moana in court.
According to THR, in November 2024, a judge dismissed the first Moana lawsuit because Woodall filed the lawsuit «too late». With the release of the sequel, the opportunity to file a lawsuit arose again.
According to Deadline as of December 24, 2024, Moana 2 has earned a huge sum of over $ 800 million. By January 5, according to Variety, the film was on track to reach a billion in revenue, surpassing $ 950 million. It debuted with over 220 million in November. Woodall is demanding $ 10 billion in compensation, or 2.5 percent of the gross revenue. According to THR, he is also seeking a court order that would restrict any further alleged violations of his copyright
Here’s everything you need to know about the accusations and the lawsuit.
According to THR, the lawsuit was filed on Friday, January 10, 2025 in the California federal court. The highly anticipated animated film debuted with huge popularity on November 27, 2024.
THR reports that Buck Woodall, an animation writer, claims that he wrote his own animated film titled «Bucky» back in 2003. According to the lawsuit, «Moana and her team enter a dangerous vortex oceanic portal, another dramatic and unique device-image found in the plaintiff’s materials, which could not have been developed accidentally or without malicious intent». Among other alleged similarities are a hero seeking to break a curse and a dangerous journey to search for and save an ancient island.
Furthermore, the complaint alleges that the defendants received plot elements for the original Moana from Woodall himself. «Disney's Moana was created after Woodall delivered to the defendants virtually all the components necessary for its development and production after more than 17 years of inspiration and work on his animation project», - the complaint states.
Among the defendants is Dreamworks Animation development executive Jenny Marchik, who at the time was the development director for Mandeville Films, which had a «first look» deal with the animation giant.
Disney denies the allegations, stating that none of Disney’s project staff had seen Woodall’s creative work. «Moana was not inspired or based in any way on [Woodall] or his project 'Bucky,' which I first learned about after this lawsuit was filed», - wrote director Ron Clements in his court statement, according to the publication. Disney also presented supporting documents showing research, development, plot ideas, and even travel journals for Moana in court.
According to THR, in November 2024, a judge dismissed the first Moana lawsuit because Woodall filed the lawsuit «too late». With the release of the sequel, the opportunity to file a lawsuit arose again.
According to Deadline as of December 24, 2024, Moana 2 has earned a huge sum of over $ 800 million. By January 5, according to Variety, the film was on track to reach a billion in revenue, surpassing $ 950 million. It debuted with over 220 million in November. Woodall is demanding $ 10 billion in compensation, or 2.5 percent of the gross revenue. According to THR, he is also seeking a court order that would restrict any further alleged violations of his copyright
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